Goldline Curling Blog

The Norway Curling Pad – it is one of the hot new products launched by Goldline this season! Many of you may wonder what makes it so unique. The Norway is an extra firm waterproof pad that offers less resistance on the ice surface. Due to its unique construction, it “polishes” rather than breaks down ice pebble, allowing for increased frequency of sweeping with less energy required.

M-Brush Technology: without it, we would not have The Norway Curling Pad!

Hallgeir (Hal) Moen

So, who is the man behind this innovation? Meet Hallgeir (Hal) Moen. Hallgeir, a Norwegian by birth, is a self admitted entrepreneur when it comes to sports. He dabbled in ski jumping and soccer as a kid, and discovered curling just over ten years ago. Hallgeir’s curiosity has led him to customize virtually every piece of sports equipment he has ever owned. Curling is no exception to this rule. He started recovering his own broom heads more than four years ago, and through experimentation, found that using material that was waterproof, combined with the right firmness and structure, made sweeping easier and more effective. Hallgeir took samples of his pad to Norway, and several teams, including the team skipped by Thomas Ulsrud, have used the pad exclusively for years.

Hallgeir approached Goldline back in 2011, looking for a distributor for the product. It was not hard to convince us: we were incredibly impressed with the product and have made it available to all of our customers and sponsored teams. We are proud to say that Hallgeir and his wife Alison are now exclusive Goldline distributors, based out of Barrie.

Is the Norway pad as effective as we claim?

Last week, we spoke with elite curler and 2010 Olympic silver medallist, Cheryl Bernard. Cheryl admits that she had heard through the grapevine that there was a new pad that was generating interest in the curling community. Back in February, Cheryl happened to run into Goldline’s Director of Public Relations, Erin Flowers, in Calgary. Erin happily gave Cheryl a few pads to try out during the Alberta mixed playdowns. We’re happy to report that Cheryl, based on this one experience, has continued to use the Norway pad. Stated Cheryl, “The material on the Norway pad stands up really well. Sweeping is so much easier, so the girls have that much more left in the tank in the later ends of a game.”

The Norway pad comes in red, white and blue (the colours of the Norwegian flag) as well as fluorescent orange.

I threw my first rock of the season just last week, and for many of you, the curling season will officially start after Thanksgiving. But the high performance teams are well into their season, and there are several events running each week across the country.

The KW Fall Classic was held in Kitchener, Ontario, from September 20-23. Hot off their win in Oakville only two weeks earlier, Erika Brown’s U.S. team emerged as the victors on the women’s side of the draw. Deb McCormick, Goldline’s exclusive distributor in the U.S., tells us that her team used the Norway pad for its last four games of the competition and came out with a win in each of those matches. Coincidence?

This past weekend, the key event on the calendar was the Prestige Hotels and Resorts Classic in Vernon, B.C.. Goldline would like to recognize Shannon Kleibrink and her team who made it to the semi-final round of the event (using Norway pads, of course). And we wish Jim Cotter and his team the best of luck as they continue in the hunt for the men’s title today.

If "Several Shades of Rummy?" were the title of a book, it would be one about the life of Rob Rumfeldt. Perhaps Rob Rumfedlt is not a name you are familiar with, but stay tuned. Rob and his southern Ontario team mates (most call Guelph home) expect to be challenging for the Ontario curling crown in the years ahead.

The team, comprised of skip Rob Rumfeldt, vice Adam Spencer, second Scott Hodgson, lead Greg Robinson and fifth Jeff Robinson, has been together for about 5 years (Adam only joined the team last year) and has been inching up the standings each year. They have a busy schedule this season: they have already played in the OCT Championship and the KW Fall Classic and in the weeks and months ahead, you’ll see them battle out on the ice at the Stu Sells Tankard (Toronto) from October 5-8; the Huron ReproGraphics Oil Heritage (Sarnia) from October 26-28; the Mount Lawn Gord Carroll Classic (Whitby) from November 1-4; and then The Masters (formerly the Sun Life Classic; in Brantford) from November 15-19.

Goldline wishes Rob and his entire team much success this season. With good play and a bit of luck, we will be cheering them on at the men’s Tankard in Barrie from February 4-10, 2013, and hopefully again at the Brier!

To help you get to know the players a bit better, here are some excerpts from our recent interviews with the team:

Q: If you weren’t curling, what sports would you be playing?Scott – Soccer: in a dream world, I would be playing for Manchester UnitedJeff – Lawn bowling

Q: If you could be anyone dead or alive, who would you be?Greg – Richard BransonAdam – Eddie Vedder

Q: What is your favourite body part?Greg – the last few hairs left on the top of my headJeff – I am fond of them all

Q: What would you do if you had a million dollars?Rob – Invest itAdam – Play a lot more golfGreg – Spend it in a week

Q: What is one of your favourite quotes?Scott – Dreams are free so you might as well dream big.Jeff – It is better to beg for forgiveness than ask for permission.

Q: What’s the hardest thing you’ve ever done?Rob – Aside from parenting, physiotherapy after breaking most of the bones in my hand/wristScott – Tried to get somewhere without a GPS

On the women’s side, the team skipped by Erika Brown from the U.S.A. came out on top. The vice on the Brown team is none other than Debbie McCormick, a 3-time Olympian, a six-time world medallist at both the junior and senior levels of play (including the gold medal in 2003), and a key individual distributor for Goldline in the U.S.A. Over the course of the competition, Debbie used Goldline’s new horse hair brush and she had nothing but praise for it: “The horse hair broom was extremely light. Sweeping seemed effortless!”

She may be an elite curler but she still likes hashbrowns and waffles for breakfast.

Many of you have asked us about the female who is featured in our “Hockey’s In the House” poster with Kevin Martin and John Morris. That lovely lady is Chelsea Carey, a rising star in the sport. She was the runner up to Jennifer Jones in last year’s Manitoba provincial playdowns and finished last season in sixth place on the CTRS (Canadian Team Ranking System), landing her a spot in the 2012 Canada Cup.

Recently our own Andrew Brett sat down with Chelsea to learn more about her.

If you weren’t curling what sport would you be playing?
I was a competitive dancer until I was 19 and I miss it so I’d likely still be doing that! I took up golf late, which I constantly regret, so that would be another option.

Where were you born?
Winnipeg! Born & raised.

What is your current hometown?
I’m rather boring this way… I’ve never moved from Winnipeg.

When you're not curling, what is your full time job?
Senior Sales Representative at Sealy Mattress Company.

When did you start curling?
Growing up I was raised by the waitresses at the Granite Curling Club, given how much time my Dad spent there. I’ve been on the ice since I could walk, but I started “organized” curling at Connie Laliberte’s curling school back when there used to be ice at the Winnipeg Winter Club. I was about 5.

Who is your favourite athlete?
This is a tough question. I have always been a big fan of Tiger Woods, as I don’t think there has ever been an athlete mentally tougher than he was at his peak. I’m also a huge hockey fan, so I admire guys like Gretzky and Crosby, or growing up I was always a big fan of Cam Neely and Ray Bourque.

Where is your favourite place to curl?
In an arena in small-town Manitoba, where our Provincial Scotties are held. The stands are always packed and the fans are so knowledgeable and appreciative. I look forward to it every year! Cranbrook at the Canada Cup last year was also incredible for the same reasons – the fans were amazing to us and the arena was just packed constantly. Such a cool atmosphere.

Where is your favourite vacation spot?
Curling limits vacation time (in my case it eliminates it), so I haven’t been very many places. I went to Hawaii in grade 12 and it was incredible… I also love our family cabin at Lake of the Woods and could easily spend a week (or 3) of holidays there!

What's your favourite TV show?
I don’t watch a ton of TV, but I like Master Chef, The Amazing Race, Criminal Minds, and Modern Family.

What are you listening to on your Ipod?
It’s on Shuffle… right now it’s The Waiting by Tom Petty.

Who is your favourite curler other than yourself?
My Dad! Always admired him so much. Currently playing there are a bunch, but I love how Glenn Howard’s team is a true unit… there’s so much support there and they genuinely have fun. It’s a perfect example of the whole being even greater than the sum of its parts.

Who is your role model?
My Dad again! Haha that may be a common theme.

Have you ever been in a bar fight?
I punched a guy in the stomach once because he wouldn’t stop touching me. I warned him first, though!

What is one of your favourite quotes?
No one says “it’s only a game” when they’re winning.

What is your favourite body part
This could be read a lot of different ways! The first thing I notice on someone is typically their eyes.

What is your favourite form of exercise?
Playing a sport… it’s far more fun than lifting weights to me. That being said, my regular regime is running for cardio and weight circuits for strength training.

If you could choose to stay a certain age forever, what age would it be?
I turn 28 tomorrow, and I kinda like being this age. Somewhere 27-35 I think would be great.

What’s the hardest thing you’ve ever done?
Stood through the closing ceremony after losing the Provincial final (twice).

In the months ahead, we are going to feature many of Goldline’s local, national, and international ambassadors here on our blog. We are proud to sponsor many individuals, teams and events and will feature many of the players in our newsletter so that you can learn a little bit more about the stars in our sport.

Scarborough: We’re delighted to announce that our east end store has also moved…..but not far! It is also still in the same building at 2250 Midland Avenue (immediately south of the 401), but has relocated around the corner into unit 16, which is a larger space to serve you better.

It was nearing midnight on a Friday night in Summerside, PEI when we unveiled the newest Goldline product to take the curling world by storm.

Kevin Martin had a draw to the button in an extra end to win his game and to qualify for the playoffs at the Players Championship. But there was something else on the line: a Goldline photo shoot. We knew it could go one of two ways depending on whether Kevin won or lost: whether or not all of our planning paid off came down to his final shot.

The crowd, in dead silence as Kevin lined up and then released his rock, roared as the rock slid down the ice and into the house for the win! Our fantastic photographer, Anil Mungal, immediately sprang into action to setup his cameras and lighting. We had helmets, skates, and a referee’s jersey ready for Kevin to slip on at the end of the sheet. He had another game first thing the next morning and timing was tight!!

Kevin's Third, Johnny Mo, was quickly thrown some gear. We thought the cheer was loud when Kevin made his shot, but the crowd really went wild when John slipped on his Maple Leafs jersey! Cameras were flashing already.

The final member of our shoot, Chelsea Carey, rushed onto the ice in her Winnipeg Jets jersey and was in position in no time! Watch out Jets – you might have a new forward in town…

The fans all stayed late even though games were all over, and the top curlers came back out from the change rooms to see what was going on. What was the buzz all about?

Kevin Martin came out looking like Kerry Fraser himself. Our ‘ref’ jumped out on the Slam ice with his skates and gave us a little twirl. Johnny and Chelsea rushed into position and we were ready to shoot as they took their stance in the faceoff circle, holding what is now one of the most sought out new products in the curling industry: the official NHL curling brush.

What a night it was! Johnny, a hardcore Leafs fan, and Chelsea, born and raised a Winnipeg Jets’ fan, couldn’t have had more fun! Kevin managed to hold up the 42 pound “puck” just long enough to get some incredible shots to help promote something he is really excited about.

Johnny

We are pleased to announce the NHL Series from Goldline Curling. This exciting new lineup of curling brushes features light weight 1 1/8" composite handles, and designs showing off any one of your favourite Canadian NHL teams. Current design options are:

Calgary Flames

Edmonton Oilers

Montreal Canadians

Ottawa Senators

Toronto Maple Leafs

Winnipeg Jets

Vancouver Canucks

These initial designs will be available starting in November, with additional team designs coming soon!